Photos

We will start off this update with some photos  of dogs in Haiti taken after the earthquake.

An injured dog walks the streets of Port-au-Prince after the earthquake. PRESS PHOTO: Carolyn Cole, Los Angeles Times

(found at Kinship Circle)

1/18/10: A crippled dog roams the streets of Port-au-Prince. PRESS PHOTO: Carol Guzy, The Washington Post

(found at Kinship Circle)

Dogs in Haiti – Photo Credit : WSPA

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It would appear that there are two teams in Haiti part of  the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti .  The Humane Society International / Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Team (which arrived first) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals/  The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Team

From the Humane Society International Reports from the Field

Leogane: January 24, 2010; 12:45 p.m. EST

“We’ve discovered that we are one of the better-prepared groups on the ground in Port-au-Prince, so we have been working with humanitarian and other organizations to provide supplies and conduct assessments in outer areas. . . headed out to the Quiskeya University to check out reports of large numbers of animals on site.  . . . . Fortunately, we encountered no injured animals. . . Afterwards we left for Leogane, an area considered one of the worst affected in the country. After viewing the devastation—building flattened, many people dead and displaced—we agree that it could possibly be in worse shape than Port-au-Prince. We spoke with farmers there and discovered that their horses and cattle had survived the earthquake in pretty good shape, but there were concerns about the effect of the disaster on their health, energy, and milk production going forward. We’re exploring the possibilities for a long-term husbandry project in this region.”

Croix-des-Bouquets: January 23, 2010; 9:30 p.m. EST

“. . .after assessing conditions at the zoo, they visited a town outside of Port-au-Prince called Croix-des-Bouquets to check on the farm animal situation. There, they saw goats, chickens and horses; all appeared okay, but many structures for housing animals were in ruin throughout the area . . . doctors from a New York hospital working on the ground in Haiti have asked for our team’s help in reviewing the human situation in these outer towns as well, since many of the humanitarian groups don’t have vehicles or access out of Port-au-Prince such as we have managed to obtain. . . ”

MSNBC interviewed Andrew Rowan (video)  from HSUS  about their efforts.

Humane Society International Twitter http://twitter.com/Hsiglobal

From the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) Animals in Disaster blog

“Today (1/23/10) in Port au Prince, the joint ARCH team began its field assessment . . . Pictured here is Dr Juan Carlos Murillo,  . . .  and a member of the ARCH team in Port au Prince, as he checks a Haitian dog to determine the state of his health and treat any lesions he might have had.  . . . ”The animal was as normal as can be expected for a dog that survives day by day. We can say our friend “Lucky” really honours his name as he became another survivor of Haiti’s earthquake.”

Note:  Here is an updated list of ARCH members

• WSPA
• IFAW
• American Humane Association
• Best Friends
• RSPCA (UK)
• In Defence of Animals
• American Veterinary Medical Association
• Antingua and Barbuda Humane Society
• ASPCA
• United Animal Nations
• The Kinship Circle
• One Voice
• American Veterinary Medical Foundation
• Swiss Animal Protection

Blogs

More blogs of ARCH members posting updates from the field teams in Haiti.  I will reference them as needed to supplement the above coverage.

United Animal Nations  Emergency Response Blog

In Defense of Animals blog

American Humane  blog

National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition

In researching this update  I learned about the  National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC). “Established in early 2006, the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition is an outgrowth of the unprecedented disaster season of 2005, when major storms – most notably Hurricane Katrina – impacted more people and their companion animals than any other time in the history of the United States. In the aftermath of that storm season, the major national animal protection organizations in the U.S. met to discuss ways in which animal disaster response resources could best be used collaboratively and effectively in future events.

In the years since Katrina, these organizations have continued to work on the major issues that came to the forefront during this crisis, developing a working coalition to facilitate responses to large-scale incidents and addressing the ongoing concerns.  This coalition of national animal protection organizations represents more than 15 million animal care and control professionals, volunteers, and pet owners.  Participants in the Coalition include the most experienced, qualified animal rescue and sheltering management professionals in the country.  Member agencies have cooperatively responded nationally and internationally to wildfires, floods, ice storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters; as well as man-made animal disasters including puppy mills and hoarding situations“